Hi Zig Forums, I've been fascinated with the song "Jesus Walks" by Kanye West lately. While far from the most tasteful this kind of song could be, it does resonate with me on some level. I feel it's not a terrible representation of one's struggle to keep the faith in the kind of world we live in, all debate about Kanye's perspective on these things aside.
Can rap music still be tasteful and reverent in keeping with lyrics and themes for Christians to relate to? Any with high quality beats/production on Kanye's level?
You guys found a great rap group. This song OutKast hits me right in those Zig Forums feels
Thomas Brown
Frankly it's really cringy when people try to do stuff like this. There's so many good Christian music already, why try to appropriate degenerate stuff like metal, pop or rap and try to insert religious lyrics in it? It feels really contrived.
Michael Mitchell
Because those genres are pretty complex and counter-culture, and it resonates with a lot of people like us. That depends. Ham-fisted christian rap/rock is extremely cringy. Ones that are good rap/rock, and are also christian are extremely awesome.
Hudson Price
Perhaps it just comes down to a matter of personal taste, but what I don't like about those genres is that there is something intrinsecally rebellious (and ergo anti-Christian) within them. Rock, pop and rap all started as a way to protest against the traditional values at the time, which were deemed "opressive". Those genres played a huge part in the de-christianisation of the west and that's why I don't think Christians should have anything to do with them.
Gabriel Harris
Society has always sucked balls, and pointing out it's hypocritical, uncaring and dehumanizing doesn't make you a SJW. And given that now we are the counter-culture to liberal society's bullshit values, it fits. By that logic, we should rebuke even the idea of movies of any kind, given a huge part of the techniques developed in cinema started in propaganda pieces of the Soviet Union, Nazi Germany, and the KKK, and the crap Hollywood spews is def not wholesome..
Jack King
NF
Carson Moore
What? Whining about "society" is pretty much the SJW mindset. And besides, those genres didn't even protest against what was indeed bad in society, but rather against the good aspects of it (like sexual morality, sobriety, lawful authority and religion). That analogy doesn't make any sense. It would maybe work if I was opposed to the "idea of music", but I'm not. I don't even think electric guitars, drums, synthesizers or whatever instruments rappers use are bad in themselves. Rather, I just pointed out that there are lots of unchristian things attached to those genres, like the aesthetics, imagery, subcultures and most lyrics. To me, it seems foolish to try to "convert" them into Christian music, but to each his own.
Ayden Davis
I think it's actually a great testament to God's power over the world if we take a formerly degenerate music genre and use it to make wholesome, religious & Fire music. Have to remember in early Christian history we took a lot of pagan temples depaganized them and turn them Christian. Just like how God takes some of the most degenerate and evil people and turns them into Saints ( Saints Augustine, Moses the black, and Paul comes to mind) God can turn "gangsta rappers" and transform them into breadpilled fire spitters. Don't get me wrong it is unfortunate that people that were born in the modern society and act all "hood" but if they use the culture they grew up in to not only glorify God but to also bring others to Him, it hurts no one but satan himself. Some Christian rap can be pretty freaking cringy the DMX and Kanye west vids posted earlier comes to mind but if it's done right it could be pretty amazing.
Samuel Perez
hip-hop was the first genre I really got into. while most of it is very secular, there is a precedent for Christian references in rap, going back to the 80s.
Dominic Campbell
...
Austin Cruz
Imagine being such a music snob that you hate people because they like something you don't.
